Trump says "the jury's still out" on FBI Director Chris Wray

Floyd Cook |Saturday, May 09, 2020

View Larger +
Rep. David Cicilline called for an investigation of Flynn

The sudden about-face is likely to raise new questions among Trump'scritics about the Justice Department's interventions under Attorney General William Barr into high-profile criminal cases involving the president's political allies.

Michael Flynn's case is not moving forward after the Justice Department recommended it should be dismissed.

"Today's move by the Justice Department has nothing to do with the facts or the law - it is pure politics created to please the president", he said.

Flynn had pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents about his communications with the Russian ambassador. "I wish there were tapes in my case, but [I] learned a lot from Richard Nixon, and you don't do that". It was an unusual move by the Justice Department, and CNN's legal and political analysts smelled a rat.

The government noted in its motion to dismiss on Thursday that prosecutors no longer believe the Flynn interview was an essential component of the investigation into him, which is a prerequisite for a prosecution under the statute he was charged with violating.

In its remarkable filing on Thursday, prosecutors wrote, "based on an extensive review and careful consideration of the circumstances, that continued prosecution of this case would not serve the interests of justice".

Yesterday, Attorney General Bill Barr's Justice Department dropped the charges, concluding that it can not prove Flynn is guilty of the crimes to which he's already pleaded guilty.

Justice Department officials visited the White House two days later to warn officials that they feared that Flynn was compromised and vulnerable to blackmail by Russian Federation because of his account of what was said on the call.

The Justice Department said that the FBI's interview of Flynn in 2017, for his alleged contacts with Russian Federation for their interference during the 2016 elections, was "untethered" and "unjustified".

There was "nothing wrong" with Flynn's call with Kislyak, Barr stressed. Flynn PLEADED GUILTY to lying to investigators. Later that month, though, as the White House insisted that Flynn had never discussed sanctions with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, FBI officials grew more concerned by Flynn's conversations with the diplomat and what he had communicated to the White House.

Flynn previously headed the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency but he was forced out in 2014 in part due to his management style and opinions on how to combat Islamist militancy.

Prosecutors asked the judge in January to sentence Flynn to up to six months in prison, saying he "has not learned his lesson" and acts like "the law does not apply" to him.

Trump pushes economy reopening, says virus could kill 100K
Coronavirus deaths in the US passed 67,000 on Sunday night, more deaths than the Vietnam War, and more than Trump predicted. This fall, American schools and colleges should reopen as planned, the President said. "There is more help coming".

NBA postpones draft lottery, combine due to coronavirus
However, the expectation is the draft will also be moved back at the urging of National Basketball Association executives. The NBA said in a release that more information on a new date for the lottery and combine would be shared at a later date.

Meghan reads 'Duck Rabbit' to Archie and it's simply adorable
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have marked their son's first birthday by posting a video of Meghan reading to a beaming Archie . In addition, stood behind Meghan and Harry are Princess Diana's two sisters Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale.

'Murder hornets' land in the US for the first time
University researchers are urging people in the area to learn how to identify the insects and to report any sightings. The WSU scientists will begin trapping queen murder hornets this spring, aiming to detect and eradicate the species.

Cuomo says state antibody rate at 12.3%; 6% in WNY
New hospitalisations for the virus remained in the mid-900s for a fourth day, a plateau that Cuomo said he found troubling. Overall in the United States, there were 34,000 new cases on Friday, the highest daily total since April 24.

Japan approves Gilead Sciences' remdesivir as COVID-19 drug
Remdesivir manufacturing relies on "scarce" raw materials that command their own "lengthy" production timelines, Gilead has said. The US recently approved Remdesivir, a key antiviral drug from Gilead Sciences, for emergency use on COVID-19 patients .

White House is looking to wind DOWN coronavirus taskforce
Trump was referring to the new committee overseeing the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic, led by Rep. Democrats are bristling at the restriction on gathering information about the nation's response to the pandemic .